Ben Wilcock, John Rae - March Of The Octopus (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. What's In a Name
02. March of The Octopus
03. Suzy
04. Llueve En La Primavera
05. Song For Eddie
06. PSFJ
07. Disruption
08. The Fox
09. Kei te pēhea koe?

Pianist Ben Wilcock and drummer John Rae co-founded Thick Records NZ in 2014, and this second co-written set splits the compositions between them — five from Rae, four from Wilcock. Recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios in Auckland in December 2024, the pair are joined by tenor saxophonist Roger Manins and bassist Patrick Bleakley, both mainstays of the New Zealand scene, alongside emerging guitarist Theo Thompson. Rae, Scottish-born and formerly the drummer with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, now directs the Aotearoa Jazz Orchestra; the old country gets a look-in too, with mastering handled by guitarist Kevin Murray at his studio outside Dundee. Engineered and mixed by De Stevens on Roundhead’s Steinway D, the session favoured first and second takes. That decision shapes the record’s character: the dynamics feel unprocessed and natural, a band captured in conversation rather than assembled in post-production.

Side A opens with Rae’s ‘What’s in a Name’, an unaccompanied piano miniature in Wilcock‘s hands, his playing captured to perfection — the piano sits high in presence with a spacious beauty, every note decaying naturally into the air around it. The title track follows, Manins‘ breathy, spiritual tenor notes full-bodied and rich in timbre against the quintet, before ‘Suzy’ settles into a modern jazz piece with a lovely evenness and separation across the group. However, it is perhaps Thompson who stands out. ‘Llueve en la Primavera’ puts the piano front and centre in the mix — stunning playing, the sort that had this reviewer wondering why nothing else by Wilcock sits on these shelves — before the sax joins and we are floating through a ballad. Rae’s ‘Song for Eddie’ closes the side in contemporary tones and is a real joy; not a departure from the rest in style, but a piece that showcases the band’s full capabilities. Lovely writing, and the standout tune for me.

Side B opens with ‘PSFJ’, a trio performance akin to the best of the American modern jazz community, Bleakley‘s bass getting its penny’s worth — warm, woody and well defined at the bottom end. ‘Disruption’ lands almost in classic Blue Note terrain — cat-chases-mouse vigour, a post-bop delight with transients that snap. Then comes ‘The Fox’, and the modal jazz spider-senses go on edge: the opening miniature returns recast for the full quintet, a mighty tune that impresses with Rae‘s skills as a writer. The record closes with ‘Kei te pēhea koe?’ — the everyday te reo Māori greeting “how are you?”, asked of one person, and a phrase reflecting the Māori value of whakawhanaungatanga: building connection by enquiring after another’s wellbeing. Thompson drives this tender ballad, and it sits on the album exactly where it needs to be. How am I? Fine and dandy, and all the better for hearing this music.

All in all, this is predominantly Ben Wilcock‘s album — the piano shines throughout, and it draws total admiration from this reviewer. It could be the best modern jazz album I have heard this year.